Linden shooting victim’s mom not accepting compensation

May 15, 2013 News

– claims it is “terribly inadequate”

Daphne Lewis, mother of Allan Lewis, one of the men killed during the July 18, 2012 protest at Linden, is not prepared to accept the monetary compensation awarded by a Commission of Inquiry, claiming that it is ‘terribly inadequate’.
The woman was reacting to suggestions by A Partnership for National Unity Member of Parliament Basil Williams that families of the three men, who were shot dead during a confrontation with the police, should accept the compensation that has been allotted to them.
Mrs. Lewis said that Allan had been maintaining her financially, along with his two sons, Rodwell and Orlando, who were 20 and 18 years old respectively, at the time of his death.
Rodwell is presently attending the University of Guyana, and according to his grandmother, he is finding it extremely difficult since his father’s death, as he is unable to acquire for himself even the most basic items, as his father was his sole means of support.
“Only last week he called me asking for some assistance (money), but I couldn’t help him because right now I myself am in need of assistance, and it is really hard, because he is there at the University and he needs money just to get by day to day, and I can’t help him, and he can’t help himself because he is not working,” Mrs. Lewis lamented.
“That money is insufficient – the State killed our father and now they’re offering us $3mil- no, we can’t accept that, and other than that, I would really like to see whoever is responsible for his death be brought to justice,” Orlando Lewis said.
Efforts to contact the relatives of Shemroy Bouyea and Ron Somerset proved futile.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Region 10, Sharma Solomon, told this newspaper that on April 27, upon their request, he met with the families of the persons who were killed, as well as those who were injured on July 18th, and those that were injured on August 10th, 12th and 14th, last.
The latter persons were advised on how they could seek legal redress, and that they should be filing civil suits so that they could have ‘some level of justice’, Solomon said.
He added that of major concern to the relatives of those killed were the sums of money that were allotted to each.
He said that it was the general view of those at the meeting that it was unfair to the victims, regardless of their status, when government would have paid out millions to the members of the Commission of Inquiry, and now offering the families such paltry sums.
Solomon questioned what consideration was given to the proposal or suggestion that was advanced to Dr Roger Luncheon in their bilateral agreements, in relation to the ‘woefully inadequate compensation’ being offered to the relatives of victims.
He further questioned the ‘formula’ used to determine the value of life, based on what had been earned, and posited that government should implement a ‘different formula’ to adjust the compensation. He is also calling on the government to make the Commission of Inquiry report public.
The three men were on July 18th shot to death by Police, on the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge, during a protest that escalated out of control after the men were shot, and several others were injured.
The Linmine secretariat was later gutted by fire, purportedly by arsonists.
These events precipitated several others during a month-long protest that would follow, where several buildings were gutted, while joint services ranks strove valiantly to maintain law and order.
(Enid Joaquin)

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Linden shooting victim’s mom not accepting compensation

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